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Bittersweet Chocolate Nut Brownies

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Since going to storage a few weeks ago and being “forced” into going through old cooking magazines to pick out the good ones so Mr. Bah Humbug can rid our lives of some of our treasures, I have found some great ones that I cannot believe I had never noticed; like these brownies. I made them last night so we could have something good to eat while watching The Voice. At the first bite, we looked at each other and knew that these were ones that would go down in our “must have chocolate tonight” recipe favorites. The bittersweet chocolate and the nuts give them such a great deep chocolate flavor, very different from just brownies made with cocoa. Next time, I am kicking them up a notch and soaking the nuts in almond liqueur before adding them to the mixture. I am going to also experiment with soaking them in raspberry liqueur when I am wanting the chocolate raspberry flavor.

1/2 cup butter

4 (1 oz) squares bittersweet chocolate ( I used Ghirardelli Premium Baking Bar Bittersweet Chocolate (60% cacao)

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teas vanilla

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans  (to toast nuts, spread them out on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 5-7 minutes, stirring halfway. Taste one after 4-5 min to see if they still need a minute or two. Cool before adding to mixture)

Preheat oven to 350.

In heavy saucepan, melt butter with chocolate over low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.

In medium bowl, combine chocolate butter mixture and sugar, stirring well. Stir in eggs, vanilla, flour and nuts.

Pour mixture into a well greased 8″ pan. Bake for 23-25 minutes. Let cool completely. We didn’t do that, we cut into them immediately and aren’t going to apologize one bit for doing so.  Randy told me to just give him one since sometimes chocolate gives me heartburn. He ate 4! He said they were worth dealing with heartburn.

Next time, I am going to soak the nuts in the almond liqueur instead of toasting them and all almond extract instead of vanilla.

Daily Thoughts

Thumbies Arrived & Ready

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IMG_1328

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Make individual cheesecakes, peanut blossoms, brownie bites easier with a Thumbie. Not having to use your thumb, the indentions are even, no crumbs under your nail and prep time is shorter.

Instructions for care is included.
I have been using the same Thumbie for over 4 years. Handwash only!

When making your yummies, always use your Thumbies!

Thumbkins Used for mini muffin pans $6.00 Shipping is $1.99 (If ordering 5 or more, shipping will be $2.99)

Thumbos Used for regular size cupcake pans $7.00 Shipping is $1.99 (If ordering 5 or more, shipping will be $2.99)

Breads · Breakfast · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Holiday Fare

Pumpkin Poppers

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

Yesterday Peter & Penelope Pumpkin wandered around the Americana, stopping to have lunch and then to the movies to see Gravity. Afterward, we wanted just to sit outside with Starbucks and people watch, which is free and we enjoyed that much more than Gravity. Guess we aren’t sci-fi people, we are more people watching people. We are sitting there just enjoying the cool Fall air, watching all the people walking by when I look over to see a bakery called Deluca’s. I immediately grabbed my Saturday allowance out of hubbies wallet and headed over. When I entered, the nice little boy of 12 asked if he could help me. I told him that I wanted the lemon meringue bars that I fell in love with in New York. He informed me that they were not even associated with Dean & Duluca’s in NY but told me to follow him over to their dessert section and proceeded to show me their great desserts. One was a Whoopie Pie with a Nutella Whip filling. He actually gave me a sample of the filling and whoa, it was really good. Am going to have to make those. Then he showed me their Pumpkin Poppers.   Only 99cents each and I could have eaten a dozen.  There were miniature pumpkin muffins rolled in a heavy coating of cinnamon sugar mixture.  All I had taken with me was $2, so I got two. Bringing them back to Peter, I told him what I had got, hoping that he would say, “oh that’s ok, you eat them both, that doesn’t sound very good to me.” But the opposite happened. He grabbed the last one and scarfed it down, like he hadn’t had sugar in a week. He looked at me and said, “these are amazing”, when are you going to make us some?” So guess what I am doing today? Making mini pumpkin muffins and rolling them in cinnamon sugar.

What a great little coffee break goodie.   Wanted to give you a fresh idea of how to take your favorite pumpkin muffins to a new level. A sugar level.  Easy to pop in your mouth with one hand, as you are playing Candy Crush. An really, how fattening can a little popper be?

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Apple Cake

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I didn’t realize that I apparently had forgot to post this recipe when I made it the last 100 times. it is a keeper!

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 3 cups finely chopped raw apples (or grated)
  • .
  • Frosting:
  • 1/2 cup butter (4 ounces)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 to 5 tablespoons milk
  • 1 box confectioners’ sugar (1 pound), about 4 cups

Preparation:

Measure vegetable oil into large mixing bowl.  Add sugar and eggs.  Beat on low speed until creamy.  Sift flour and measure.  Sift again and add salt, soda and baking powder.  Add a small amount of the flour mixture at a time to the creamed mixture.  Beat well after each addition.  When all flour has been added, or when batter becomes very stiff, remove electric mixer. Fold in chopped pecans and chopped apples with a wooden spoon.  Spread evenly into a 9″x13″ pan (or 2 – 9″ pans) lined with lightly greased  wax paper.  Bake in 350° oven for 45 to 55 minutes.  Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Carefully loosen edges and turn onto cake rack, remove wax paper, cool and frost.    

Make Frosting: Cook butter and sugar together until well blended and sugar is dissolved.  Add 3 tablespoons  milk and 1 box of confectioners’ sugar.  Beat and add just enough milk to spread.

More Recipes Shirl’s Apple Cake Tennessee Apple Stack Cake Sour Cream Apple Cake

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Pumpkin, Caramel & Pecan Cheesecake

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What better way to celebrate Fri than with a new recipe! It has been a very stressful morning. Decisions, decisions. We are going to some friends home for dinner and guess who volunteered to bring dessert? Knowing that I wanted to make something “fallish” two different recipes came to mind. This new recipe from Philadelphia Cream Cheese or one of my fall favs, fresh apple cake with brown sugar frosting.

Peter Pumpkin and I seem to load up on apples each and every week, thinking that what better time to begin eating healthy? Each time we come back from the grocery determined to load up our bodies with fresh fruit; thus the apples and bananas that we take out of the reusable bags. The only problem with this new resolution (actually it isn’t new, it’s something we’ve resolved to do since January, 1996, but never find the right time to begin) is that as the week goes by with the fruit still sitting there, staring back at us, it becomes apparent that it is no longer “fresh fruit” and is begging to be used in some delicious baked good that thrives on over ripe fruit to make it moisturie (I know I know, but it just seems to be the right word). So since I had apples laying out looking ever so “please use me, please use me” I decided to make a fresh apple cake tonight. But because that recipe is already on the post, I wanted to give you the other dessert that was the 2nd option for tonight. Will make it when I have used up all our over ripe fruit. Will start again on Mon with new fresh fruit. Who knows, maybe by next Fri, I will have found new recipes that use really ripe apples and bananas? In the meantime…..

Makes 16 Servings

Prep Time: 15 min (now that should catch your eye)

1/2 cup chopped pecans, divided

18 Nabisco Ginger Snaps, finely crushed

1/4 cup butter, melted

4 packages ( 8 oz ea) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teas vanilla

1 teas vanilla

 4 eggs

25 caramels

1/4 cup milk

Heat oven t0 325. Chop 1/4 cup of the pecans very fine in a bowl. Add ginger snap crumbs and butter; mix well. Press crumb mixture onto bottom of a 13×9″ pan. Set aside.  Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl. With hand mixer, beat until blended. Add pumpkin, spice and vanilla, mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake 45 min or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Microwave caramels and milk in microwavable bowl for 1 1/2 min or until caramels are completely melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Add the other 1/4 cup chopped pecans and spoon over individual servings of cheesecake. Top with whipping cream if desired.

 

Casseroles · Chicken · Meats

Butter Baked Chicken & Gravy

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If the first word in the title doesn’t hook you, I bet the last one will. Butter and gravy…two of the best things ever! This dish is such a comfort food it will warm your hearts and satisfy the most fussy eater.

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 cup flour

11/4 teas salt

1/2 teas black pepper

1/2 teas garlic powder

1/2 teas onion powder

1 (15 oz) can evaporated milk, divided

1 (4 1/2 lb) chicken, cut into pieces

1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of chicken or celery or mushroom soup (your preference, I prefer the celery or mushroom, as it is not such a over powering chicken flavor)

1/4 cup water

Hot cooked rice

Asparagus or Fresh Green Beans

Preheat oven to 350.

Pour melted butter into a 13×9″ lightly greased baking dish

In a shallow dish, combine flour, salt

In another separate shallow dish, pour 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Coat chicken pieces with evaporated milk; dredge each in flour mixture. Place chicken, skin side up, in prepared baking dish. Bake, uncovered for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and turn chicken.

In a small bowl, combine soup, water and remaining evaporated milk; pour oven chicken. Return to oven for 35 minutes longer. Remove chicken from baking dish; whisk gravy in baking dish until smooth. Serve chicken and gravy with rice or mashed potatoes and green veggie.

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Baguette Pot Pie

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First of all, thanks to so many who responded to helping test recipes for my cookbook. Recipes are distributed and already in the mail. So appreciated your response.

In an old Southern Living magazine I was leafing through, (I used “leafing” as it goes so well with Fall) I came across this idea. It caught my eye because I am not a biscuit person, but love different pot pies. This gave the idea to use baguette’s to top your pies. Simply melt butter with garlic and brush one side of bread slices. Top pot pie of your choice evenly with bread slices, buttered side up.  Place the bread slices on your pie the last 15 minutes of cooking. Watch to be careful bread slices don’t over brown. If they are getting too dark, cover loosely with foil.

1 French  baguette (12″) cut into 1/2″ slices

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 tables butter

Melt butter with minced garlic. Brush on one side of each slice of bread.

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Recipe Testers Needed

Chocolate Castles3 Comments

As many of you know, I am in the last stages of finishing a book. The lady who is editing the pages, suggested that each recipe be tested for accuracy, for ease of reading the instructions and to just make sure each recipe has been tested for flavor and appeal. I am needing about 6 more friends who wouldn’t mind cooking a couple of recipes. They would need to be cooked and responses back to me by Nov 15th. If you are interested in helping me with this project, would you email me at

trudykcox@yahoo.com and I will need your address so I can mail you the recipes. Thanks in advance for your help.

Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Cranberry Cobbler With Walnut Creme

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My Sister-in-law is always looking for new recipes that have cranberries in them. When I came across this one in Southern Lady, I quickly tore it out to post so Janece could spend her week playing mah jong instead of combing through magazines. Janece, this one is for you. BTW, just got back from Trader Jo’s. If you have not tried their pumpkin butter, do so, it is so good. Also bought their frozen pumpkin bread pudding. If we have unexpected company I can quickly bake it and add cream sauce and wa-la….instant Autumn dessert.

4 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

2/3 cup sugar

1 tables four

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

2 teas cinnamon

1 teas nutmeg

For the filling, combine the cranberries, sugar, flour, orange zest, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and mix lightly. Spoon into a 1 1/2 qt greased baking dish.

Topping

1 1/2 cups flour

3 tables sugar

2 1/4 baking powder

2 teas finely grated orange zest

2 teas cinnamon

1/2 teas salt

6 tables unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2″ pieces

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tables sugar

Mix the flour, 3 tables sugar, baking powder, orange zest, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs .Use 2 forks or a pastry blender. Add the cream and mix just until mixture forms a soft dough.

Shape into biscuits with biscuit cutter or using the top of a drinking glass (dipping the glass in flour helps release the dough onto the baking sheet). 2″ in diameter and 1/2″ thick. Arrange over the cranberries. Sprinkle with 1 tables sugar.

Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve with walnut cream or ice cream.

Walnut Cream

1 cup whipping cream

1 tables sugar

1 teas vanilla

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

For the walnut cream, beat the whipping cream in a bowl with mixer until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla gradually, beating until  the peaks hold their shape. Fold in the walnuts. Chill until serving time.

 

Daily Thoughts

Sister Schubert Hits California

Chocolate Castles5 Comments

I know, this probably isn’t news that will hit FB or Twitter, but less than an hour ago, I casually waddled in Ralphs Grocery near our home. I quickly found my way to the frozen food section to get a couple of items for a luncheon tomorrow. Gazing ever nonchalantly to my left at the frozen bread section, my eyes saw something that made my heart skip a beat. Did I see what I thought I saw? I quickly pulled on the handle to open the door and couldn’t believe what I was holding in my little Southern Hand. The most beautiful site; a bag of Sister Schubert rolls. Not the pretzel rolls, which I have seen a few times out here, but real dinner rolls. California, you have now won my heart. Was this really the same little neighborhood grocery store that never had my southern foods that I was craving when we first moved here three years ago?</p And this miracle happened on a Sunday! Is this going to be a great week or what? If I stumble into the same store next week and see frozen breaded okra, I am going to think that Paula Deen must have more influence in California than Dr. Oz. So, in less than 48 hours, we have had Blue Bell mailed to us from Texas and now, Sister Schubert Rolls from Alabama. When I actually see Cherry Vanilla Diet Dr Pepper here, I will be content to live here forever. I have found a Sonic within 30 minutes of our house, a Chick-Fila an hour away, Hobby Lobby by the Chick Fila and now Sister Schubert. I never dreamed life in California could be this great. You can have your beautiful blue water and beaches, your gorgeous Napa Valley and Golden Gate Bridge, I have found my dream destination, Ralphs Frozen Food Aisle.